Frosty Darling’s Frosting Fix: The Fourth Annual Cupcake Social

Nothing is worse than a cocktail party. After squeezing into some spanks to get that slinky dress on, you sit around sipping martinis and trying not to make a pig out of yourself at the snack bar as you casually converse with a bunch of pretentious yuppies. An hour into it, the constant sipping reaches your bladder and you end up in the bathroom for 20 minutes, huffing and puffing your way in and out of the “power panties,” racking your brain for excuses as to why you have to leave early.

Gentry Blackburn, owner of Frosty Darling, is getting you out of that yuppy mess on July 30 from 5 to 9 p.m. for the Frosty Darling Cupcake Social. A cocktail party gone cupcake, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Frosty Darling is Broadway’s unique, 1950s-vintage gift boutique, featuring handmade crafts by Blackburn and other local artists. The Cupcake Social has become an annual event, and this summer brings it into its fourth year. “There’s Christmas at one end of the year and the Cupcake Social at the other end … It just seems to make sense for this place, everyone thinks it’s an ice cream store or a cupcake place anyway,” says Blackburn.

The Cupcake Social is kid (and vegan) friendly and sans martinis, but you won’t miss the mixed drink with a gourmet cupcake in hand. So Cupcake, Carlucci’s Bakery and Diva’s Cupcakes are all providing the icing-topped delicacies, along with some other baked confections and peach iced tea made by Blackburn herself. There’s no need to make stuffy conversation either, as a variety of cupcake-themed activities will be available for your entertainment. From the obvious cupcake decorating to cupcake bingo, face painting and a cupcake walk kind of like musical chairs but with less tears and more prizes, there will be much fun to be had by all. Of course, once the players catch wind of the crafty prizes that can be won, the competition may get a little fierce. As I spoke to Blackburn, she was putting together little felt cupcakes to make into magnets, bracelets, pins and hair barrettes. She had also made some very realistic plastic cupcakes, whose deceptive scrumptiousness left my mouth watering. “I’m just really into fake food,” she says. In the past, Blackburn has also held a cupcake exhibition, featuring cupcake-centered artwork by local artists. This year, Frosty Darling will not be hosting a gallery show, but Blackburn requested cupcake crafts from some of her consigners to be given out as prizes and available for purchase, including work by Dallas Russell and Laurie Knowley.

Attendees are also encouraged to wear “cupcake cocktail attire,” which is open to interpretation. Personally, I suggest dressing as a humanized cupcake: frosting-styled hair, “sprinkled” torso and some cute leggings minus the power panties. Those who dress up will be given the chance to compete in a cupcake costume contest and win a prize.

The Cupcake Social is free, as are the edible gourmet cupcakes, but some of the activities ask for a suggested donation to cover flour and sugar costs, so be a darling and bring $5 if you plan to stuff your face and participate. For photos of last year’s fun and frosting click here. Once again, don’t miss out on supporting Salt Lake’s sweetest vintage gift shop. See you on July 30 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Frosty Darling, 177 E. Broadway.